A social contract to address homelessness

Posted on May 05, 2021

Pathways Out of Homelessness is a long-standing research theme explored by leaders from the Centre for Faith and Community, located within the Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Pretoria.  Its aim is to articulate:

“theories on homelessness and generate new knowledge, but not for the sake of theorising or knowledge production. It is interested rather in retrieving different kinds of knowledge that could help generate innovative solutions and just alternatives to the status quo.  It generates evidence on the ways in which the face of homelessness is changing in the City of Tshwane, and nationally, in order to recommend appropriate and evidence-based policies and strategies to end homelessness, in conjunction with homeless people themselves.  It is action-oriented research with a keen interest in ensuring that the knowledge generated can immediately translate into interventions.”

 

On 23 April 2021, Pathways Out of Homelessness took a giant leap forward in reaching this aim when its leaders, including Prof Stephan de Beer, Mr Lance Thomas and Prof Jerry Pillay, signed a social contract with representatives from the City of Tshwane, the Tshwane Homelessness Forum and the University of South Africa, which formally committed each party to, among other priorities:

  • Make Tshwane a home for all who live in it.
  • Create a wider and deeper awareness of homelessness in the metro.
  • Facilitate appropriate interventions for those living without homes.
  • Foster ongoing research and collective action.
  • Ensure policies and strategies prioritise the eradication of homelessness.

Together, these role players acknowledged that they are guided by the principles set out in the Freedom Charter, the South African Constitution and the National Development plan as they commit to contending with the scourge of homelessness, in the hope of one day bringing it to an end.

- Author Dana Mahan

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